No. 1-ranked Tigers hammer Duplin County rival

WARSAW -- James Kenan began defense of its state championship with a 37-0 drubbing of county archrival Wallace-Rose Hill on Friday evening at Bill Taylor Field.

The two met just one week ago in Teachey.

"It was the first time I have ever played a team back-to-back," said Tigers head coach Ken Avent Jr. "It had its plusses and its minusses, but our kids played hard and it worked out in our favor."

Darius Heslip ignited the Tiger offense out of the gate with a 61-yard touchdown run on the team's opening possession. Three minutes later, Jamar Rogers bolted 14 yards to paydirt.

The Tigers never slowed down. Heslip reached the end zone for a second time with 90 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.

"We had pretty good field position all night," said Avent Jr. "It doesn't look like we had a great day on the stat sheet, but we were pretty efficient."

Quarterback Shawon Darden continued his maturation process with a well-managed game under center. The area leader in passing yards, Darden completed eight throws for 94 yards and one touchdown.

"The big thing was that we didn't have a turnover on offense," said Avent Jr. "We made the most of our opportunities and were able to get ahead early and maintain the lead."

Alex Monk and Dontrill Hyman led the defense with seven stops apiece. Shaqueal Outlaw contributed six tackles. Hyman and Greg Harrison each recorded a sack, while Monk, Kendric Faison and Eric Key each picked off a Bulldog pass.

Heslip and Hicks each recovered a fumble.

Affter facing a county rival in round one, another familiar foe will make the trek to Warsaw next week. Super Six member Midway (11-1) gets a rematch against the Tigers, ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press prep poll.

"The last time we played it was in a driving rain storm," said Avent Jr. of an 18-7 win. "So we won't put much stock in what either team did that night. Instead we'll go back and watch some film of their more recent games and try to prepare."